Attempts are currently being made to also supply devices connected to a data network with energy via the data network. A conventional standard for this purpose is, for example, IEEE 802.3 of for the so-called Power over Ethernet. In the case of “Power over” Ethernet, network-compatible devices are supplied with energy via the eight-wire Ethernet cable. One advantage of Power over Ethernet is that it is possible to dispense with a power supply cable in the device.
To expand a terminal with Power over Ethernet functionality, a so-called “splitter” is usually installed in a conventional Ethernet-compatible terminal. This splitter separates the energy provided via the Ethernet cable from the data. The splitter thus generates a DC voltage and provides the Ethernet signal. In this case, the DC voltage is in a region of 50 V according to the standard. Consequently, this DC voltage must then be converted into a supply voltage of 3 to 12 V, for example, which is typically conventional for terminals. This increases the complexity, costs, susceptibility to faults, weight and area and space requirement of the power supply in the terminal.
Therefore, it could be helpful to further improve a power supply for terminals having Ethernet energy supply.